Hearty, Healthy, Homemade Winter Soups
In the midst of winter, what better way to warm the soul than by having some hearty, homemade soup?
Food & Wine magazine Special Projects Director Gail Simmons visited "The Early Show Saturday Edition" with recipes that are also healthy, easy to make, and easy on the pocketbook - not to mention, delicious!
She even showed how to make a traditional chicken soup to help stave off the winter sniffles.
These aren't loaded with fat and sodium, as so many mass-produced canned soups are.
Her soups included:
Hearty Chicken and Rice Soup with Dill & Parsnips
Meaty Turkey Chili with Hominy
Split Pea Soup with Portobello Mushrooms
Simmons started with the hearty chicken soup. Instead of the traditional chicken noodle soup, she substitutes in brown rice, which adds a ton of great vitamins and nutrients that you would miss out on with using egg noodles. Another tip for making the soup a little healthier is to use low-sodium chicken broth. Often, the store-bought stuff has way more than necessary and can be too salty.
Simmons also uses a lot of fresh herbs and parsnips, which really kick up the flavor without any extra work. And to save even more time, she suggests buying a whole rotisserie chicken and shredding the meat, rather than cooking your own chicken breast. Not only is that a time-saver, but supermarket rotisserie chickens are frequently very inexpensive.
Then, Simmons moved on to turkey chili. Turkey is a great substitute in chili, because it's a leaner than the more traditional chili meat, beef. Not only is it a little healthier, but the turkey adds a nice, smoky flavor to the chili without all that extra fat. But beware: Even if a chili is healthy, you can easily make it really fattening by the toppings you add. Simmons advises that you skip the sour cream, bacon bits and cheddar cheese and opt for better ingredients, such as chopped avocado, sliced radishes, onions and jalapenos.
Simmons also brought along a split pea soup with Portobello mushrooms. It's a beautiful, silky soup and a great option for vegetarians. Traditionally, split pea soup has ham in it, but a great alternative is Portobello mushrooms, which give you that meaty texture. This recipe makes use of frozen peas which, surprisingly, have the same nutritional value as fresh ones, but are a lot less expensive.
If you're seeking healthy soup recipes, they're really easy to find: Just look for recipes using whole grains, beans, and lean sources of protein, such as chicken and turkey, and vegetables, of course.
All healthy soup making is a formula: Learn it and you can make any soup at all with easy variations:
1. Start by building flavors with colorful and healthy vegetables (onions, carrots, celery, garlic, etc.).
2. Add liquid (water or broth) and other dry ingredients (beans, meat, etc.).
3. Simmer, puree if desired.
4. Garnish and serve: That's easy and a great one-pot meal for cold winter days (or chilled in summer).
Soup is a great way to get in your veggies and your vitamins, as it's very simple to prepare and very filling and delicious. And there are sooo many varieties!
FOR SIMMONS' RECIPES, GO TO PAGE 2.
RECIPES
Chicken & Rice Soup with Parsnips & Dill
INGREDIENTS:
1-1/2 quarts canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
1 onion, chopped
4 carrots, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
4 parsnips, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3)
1 cup brown rice
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)
METHOD:
In a large pot, combine the broth, onion, carrots, parsnips, salt, and pepper and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken breasts to the pot and simmer until just done, about 10 minutes. Remove the chicken; bring the soup back to a simmer. When the chicken breasts are cool enough to handle, cut them into bite-size pieces.
Meanwhile, stir the rice into the soup. Simmer until the vegetables are tender and the rice is done, about 30 minutes. Return the chicken pieces to the pot and then stir in the dill and the parsley.
NOTES:
Variations
Skip the parsnips and raise the number of carrots to eight.
Add one diced turnip to the mix.
Use bone-in chicken breasts and cook them for an additional ten minutes. The extra time in the pot will give the soup even more flavor.
Turkey Chili Soup with Hominy
INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound ground turkey
1-1/2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
Salt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 cups beef stock or low-sodium broth
One 15-ounce can hominy, drained and rinsed
Shredded cheddar, chopped cilantro, sour cream and tortilla chips, for serving
METHOD:
In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the onion and garlic and cook over high heat, stirring, until barely softened, about 3 minutes. Add the turkey, ancho powder, cumin and chipotle powder and season with salt. Cook, breaking up the turkey with a wooden spoon, until the liquid has evaporated and the turkey is lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the flour and then the tomato paste. Add the stock and hominy and simmer over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes.
Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with cheddar, cilantro, sour cream and tortilla chips.
Split-Pea Soup with Portobello Mushrooms
INGREDIENTS
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 carrots, chopped
2 onions, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 2/3 cups green split peas
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
9 cups water
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons salt
1 pound portobello mushrooms, stems removed, caps cut into 1/2-inch dice
6 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
METHOD:
In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over moderate heat. Add the carrots, onions, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften, about 5 minutes.
Add the split peas, parsley, water, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook at a low boil, covered, until the peas are almost tender, about 35 minutes. Add 1 3/4 teaspoons of the salt and simmer 5 minutes longer. Remove the bay leaf.
Meanwhile, in a large nonstick frying pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over moderately high heat. Add the mushrooms and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook until the mushrooms brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the soup and bring back to a simmer. Stir in the Parmesan and pepper.